The Walking Dead

AMC, as expected, has renewed “The Walking Dead” for a fourth season, but the zombie drama will undergo another change at the top as showrunner Glen Mazzara announced that he will be leaving the series.

In a statement, AMC said, “the two parties have mutually decided to part ways.”

“Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3,” the statement read. “AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success. Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways.”

AMC described the decision as “amicable” and said that Mazzara will stay on through post-production on Season 3, which resumes Feb. 10.

“The Walking Dead” is AMC’s biggest hit — and one of the biggest hits on television, becoming the first basic cable show to lead the ratings in the highly coveted adults 18-49 demo. Even so, it has had its share of behind-the-scenes drama. Frank Darabont, who adapted the series from Robert Kirkman’s comic books, was abruptly forced out as showrunner midway through Season 2 for reasons that still haven’t been made clear.

In a separate statement, Mazzara said, “My time as showrunner on ‘The Walking Dead’ has been an amazing experience, but after I finish Season 3, it’s time to move on. I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.”

Meanwhile, Kirkman issued his own extensive statement, saying, “I am in full support of both AMC and Glen Mazzara in the decision they have come to and believe the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show. I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to ‘The Walking Dead’ and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3. I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for ‘The Walking Dead.’ Thank you to the fans for your continued support.”

Despite those warm-and-fuzzy declarations, you have to wonder what exactly it was about Mazzara’s vision for the show that AMC objected to — and why the network would even want to mess with such amazing success. And “amicable”? Probably not.

Either way, fans have reason to be nervous. Under Mazzara’s direction, “The Walking Dead” became more tense and tough and gripping, even as it did up the gore quotient. The show landed on several end-of-the-year Top 10 lists issued by TV critics.

“The Walking Dead” opened Season 3 on Sunday with the kind of ratings a lot of network shows would love to have.

The premiere on AMC garnered 10.9 million viewers and a 7.4 HH rating making it the highest rated episode in series history, and growing more than 50 percent over last season’s premiere. The Season 3 premiere now reigns as the biggest telecast for any drama series in basic cable history among all viewers.

The zombie hit encored at 10 p.m. with another 3.5 million viewers and midnight with 850,000 viewers delivering a whopping 15.2 million viewers for the night.

Well, that was pretty much of a no-brainer: AMC just announced that it has renewed “The Walking Dead” for a third season.

And why not? The zombie drama, which recently opened its second season, continues to post smash ratings here in the U.S. and abroad.

“Today we are pleased to announce that the ‘dead’ shall live as we proudly renew ‘The Walking Dead’ for a third season on AMC and, globally, with our terrific partners at Fox International Channels,” said Charlie Collier, AMC’s President, in a press release. “We are thankful for everyone’s contribution in front of and behind the camera as we continue to make ‘The Walking Dead’ a unique television experience. And, we are so proud as it continues to set viewership records around the world.”

According to the release, FOX International Channels rolled-out its global launch for “The Walking Dead” this weekend, with premieres on FIC’s cable networks in Europe, Asia, Latin American, Africa and the Middle East. The series’ international premieres delivered equally impressive results in all major international TV markets, and broke pay-TV ratings’ records across the world. Over 10 million viewers in 122 countries tuned in live to watch the second season premiere of this highly anticipated returning drama. And, FIC will once again be the international broadcasting partner for the series with Entertainment One continuing to distribute in non-FIC markets.

“Partnering with AMC on ‘The Walking Dead’ took some guts”, said Sharon Tal Yguado, SVP of Scripted Programming at FIC. “But at the same time was the easiest programming decision we ever made. It’s rare to come across a groundbreaking TV project that is also attached to some of the best talent in town. ‘The Walking Dead’ was treated as a global event since day one and not only changed the traditional TV model but also changed our viewers’ TV experience. It is now officially a global addiction with millions of fans around the globe wanting more. We are delighted to give it tto them.”

Can you fill the anticipation in the air? The fall TV season is just around the corner, and because we’re here to serve, we have your full rundown of premiere dates. And we mean FULL.

Other sites might tell you when the new network shows are starting. Or when the returning network shows come back. But we know that you’re also interested in big cable premieres such as “Boardwalk Empire,” “Dexter,” “The Walking Dead” and even “Beavis & Butthead.” So we’ve got those, along with all the network stuff.

As you watch, strangely fascinated, from the edge of your seat, you can imagine the filmmakers gleefully declaring: “Let’s come up with more fresh and imaginative ways to desecrate the human body!”

If you’re more voyeuristic than squeamish, “The Walking Dead” is worth a look, based on its striking images alone. Zombies, after all, are the new vampires, and they’ve come a long way since the late ’60s, when director George A. Romero imagined an invasion of animated corpses playing out in chintzy black-and-white.

Fortunately, there’s much more to this series than the gruesome imagery. Finding inspiration in an acclaimed graphic novel by Robert Kirkman, “The Walking Dead” gives us a world ravaged by a zombie epidemic. But whereas most entries in the musty genre are simply inclined to go for cheap shrieks and lofty body counts, this saga defies expectations with a more humanistic approach.

At its heart, it’s a survivalist story that focuses on how lives are drastically changed in the face of imminent doom. And in that vein, it has more in common with the rece ntly departed “Lost” than Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead.” The terror here is derived not so much from its ghastly stiffs, but its stark picture of personal desolation.

Sunday’s 90-minute opener acquaints us with the sad tale of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), a stoic Southern lawman who, after being injured in a roadside shootout, slips into a coma that lasts for weeks. When he finally awakens, Grimes is stunned to find himself alone and abandoned in a vacated hospital.